Michael Vick deserves his 23-month sentence

The former star quarterback's imprisonment sends a loud message to a savage underworld

Spending nearly two years behind bars at a federal prison is a harsh sentence for a young man at the peak of his chosen career. But federal judge Henry Hudson matched the seriousness of the crime committed by Michael Vick to the sentence he assessed the star quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons.

The conviction of Vick on charges that he engaged in and sponsored dogfighting brought a harsh light on a horrendous and inhumane crime. Dogfighting is described as a blood sport, but there's nothing sporting about it. The dogs used in the savage, cold-hearted business of staging fights for spectators and accompanying gambling and abuse are no more than cogs for a terrible machine. As investigators detailed what they discovered about Vick's illegal dogfighting enterprize -- the Bad Newz Kennels -- the dogs that weren't vicious enough to meet the expectations of the promotors and organizers of the fights, which included Vick, were ruthlessly disposed of. Some were drowned, some electrocuted, others hung or simply shot.

In terms of lost earnings, the conviction will be enormously costly to Vick. The Atlanta Journal estimated the total of lost earnings, endorsements and bonuses at $142 million. But the disgrace of a once highly popular athletic star is incalculable. Vick didn't prove to Judge Hudson that he had a full measure of remorse for the crime he had committed. &quot;I'm not convinced you've fully accepted responsibility,&quot; Hudson told Vick in court on Monday, although Vick had apologized. Hudson sentenced Vick to 23 months in prison, assessed a fine of $5,000 and a probationary term of three years after he is released.

Vick's failure to come clean during the investigation on his full involvement in the dogfighting activities on his property earned him a sentence at the top range of punishments for the crime. Vick had said he had only funded the dogfighting operation, but prosecutors said his involvement went far beyond that. &quot;You were instrumental in promoting, funding and facilitating this cruel and inhumane sporting activity,&quot; the judge said.

The loss of two years out of the relatively short career of a professional athlete, especially at the level of fame that Vick had achieved, is a terrible blow. Athletic skills erode, even for the best trained athletes competing at high levels. Some think that there will be market for Vick after he completes his sentence, though it's difficult at this point to see how he could overcome the public disgrace, short of a demonstration of remorse that Vick has yet to show.

But there's no reason to entertain any compassion for Vick's situation. It's one he brought on himself. Like others who sustain dogfighting, Vick, by the evidence, was oblivious to the savagery he was engaging in. Dogfighting continues, as bloody and as cruel as it is, because there are people to watch it, to gamble on it and to train the animals to the depths of their brute instincts. These perpetrators gather in the shadows, in hidden locations, out of the view of decent society.

The message of Vick's conviction and imprisonment to anyone else who believes that dogfighting is somehow sporting, or entertaining ought to be clear. The message is that the general public doesn't share that distorted views and will heavily penalize those who do.